


Ring

by SelenitaLunar



Series: Loving You [7]
Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Sexy Times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 11:38:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11531445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SelenitaLunar/pseuds/SelenitaLunar
Summary: Pepper and Tony have gone trough a lot but now they are engaged :)





	Ring

**Author's Note:**

> Special Thanks to my awesome beta: a-citizen-of-asgard because she's the reason my inner writer voice sounds right in English. Thank You Shannon for helping me when I needed you. You are THE BEST.
> 
> WARNING: SPOILERS for "Spider-Man Homecoming" :)
> 
> The beginning is similar to another of my "Post-Civil War" fics. I wrote that one last year and it is called "We need to talk" I left this beginning that way because I truly love that setting and I believe that it's what happened between them but their conversation is totally different. The rest is new.

**2016**

It was dark. Not a star in the sky, and Tony Stark was on the roof of the new "Avengers Compound" in upstate New York, feeling utterly miserable and looking sadly into the horizon. Lost in thoughts of what he missed the most: Pepper, some of his friends… It had been a hell of a week, he thought to himself feeling awful. Damned Ross and everything.

Then, when he was least expecting it he smelled a familiar lavender scent and, still in disbelief, turned to see Pepper standing there, one foot behind him, dressed in a beautiful white bussiness suit and staring intently at him. She looked like she'd been crying. But she was here.

After two long months of self - imposed distance.

"Hey!" He had thrown her way trying not to sound desperate. She was beautiful. And he loved her with all his soul. Being near her again, knowing they couldn't go back to being together was terribly difficult. It felt so unnatural. It felt wrong. He wanted to hug her, kiss her…

But he knew far too well he couldn't.

"Tony… I'm here because I need to talk with you" Was all she answered back. "It's important"

He started waking towards her slowly and stared into her blue eyes. Waiting. She looked nervous, probably because both were so near each other and alone on that roof. After all that had happened between them.

"Well, it sure must be important if you needed to get here to tell me in person. You didn't say much at the hospital when you came to visit Rhodey yesterday" 

"We weren't alone then" Pepper said, the wind disheveling her beautiful red hair. Giving her a fierce look. Damn he needed to stop staring into those beautiful blue eyes before it was too late… "It is between you and me… Yesterday I was in the hospital because of Jim. This is different…"

"All is fine, Pepper" He tried to reassure her and himself. "I know what you said at the hospital. That you were worried about me. That I could have died in that hellhole in Siberia and you would have know about it in the news… That I was probably emotionally instable and out of my mind. That you feel so sorry about what happened with Mom and Dad. I know you'll always be my friend and you'll be there for me. I know that." Tony paused. He breathed hard. "I know that doesn't mean we are going back together like nothing ever happened between us. I know why you decided to leave and give our relationship some time…"

Pepper moved foward and caressed his cheek sweetly. She was cold and he was warm. And familiar. And she loved to touch him again. Had missed him so much.

"I just… I shouldn't have left you like that, Tony. Now I know. But I needed space, because I just couldn't live like that anymore... This is hard for me…" She stammered, breathing heavily.

"It's okay, I'm listening. Take your time" He said caressing her shoulders soothingly.

"Oh Tony… Do you remember I had a dad, right?"

He noded in a yes. "Yeah I didn't get to know him a lot before he died… Our youth together wasn't my best time, I'll give you that… But yeah I kind of remember your Dad. Big man, big smile… John Potts, right?"

"Yeah." Pepper retorted biting back a tear. "He died in 2003"

"I remember." Tony said. "I tried to be with you at the funeral. Sure I wasn't of much help back then with all the booze running trough my veins… Sorry for that, sweetheart. It was so hard for me to stand still and sober in a cementery, in front of a tomb, for obvious reasons…"

He was so cute when he tried so desperately to justify his old day's behaviour… She understood him then and understood him even more nowadays. Pepper threw a little anguished smile in his direction.

"I never told you he died because he was an idiot who liked driving his car too fast. For obvious reasons too… I didn't want to bring back your own parents car accident, Tony… But now that we know the truth of what happened with your family… That sort of removed something inside me." She explained, voice soft. "My dad had too much to drink that night after work and got into an argument with another driver's car that resulted in him losing control of his own and dying instantly in the road. The policeman that told us what happened, said it was his reckless behaviour that evening what killed him."

Tony opened his eyes wide. Horribly surprised by her words. And suddenly struck with the truth. Pepper stopped to regain her composure.

"My mother, my brother Daniel and I lost him so suddenly. He went off to work, like everyday and he never returned. It was so hard to get going with our lives after that."

Tony was truly broken at this point in the conversation. He hugged her against him, letting her sob soundly against his shoulder. Maybe he wasn't at her side in the past, but he was now.

"We loved him so much. My Mom… She never was the same after that… I just… Tony… When we got together… I just… I couldn't go through that again. I thought I could because I love you so much it hurts when you are not with me… I thought… When I was feeling hopeless about our future together, you said you were done with the Iron Man suits… With the unhealthy way of spending too much time in them, putting yourself in danger. You were wrong. But I couldn't wait for you. To worry about you suddenly dying every other day. Leaving me unexpectedly like my father did… Like the day you saved New York, I felt completely devastated. It was too much to bear I…" Her voice cracked and she violently sobbed against his body. "I had to leave, Tony"

"So it wasn't entirely because I broke my promise to you?" He asked trying to understand her fully. "About forgeting the Iron Man suits? About my insane obsession with them?"

"It was mainly because of my fear of losing you Tony. I love you too much!" She cried out in his ear.

"It's okay, Pep. More than okay now that I understand" He whispered into her ear. "I wish I could stop being Iron Man… I truly wish I could… But I can't. Now I know I'll always want to help make the world a better place… I'm so tired though, but I need to be prepared, something's coming to earth. I'm sure, and I need to be capable of saving this planet Pepper… I need to save you. I do it for you..." He stammered. "But I see that for us this means this is the end, then?" He swallowed hard. He loved Pepper so much he couldn't believe their love wasn't enough. He didn't want to live withouth her… Sure, she would be safe away from him. Safe from alien villains and murderers. That was the only hope he could work out of all this mess.

She looked at him with shiny bright eyes, tears sparkling on her face and kept talking.

"But, it hasn't passed a week that I realized that I missed you so much Tony and that being apart of each other was even worse than before. Because I was so worried about you. Fearing someone would tell me you died saving the world, saving us all… But I couldn't talk with you. I needed you with me. I needed to tell you my fears… I couldn't do anything and that sense of impotence was truly devastating…"

Tony sighed deeply. "Pepper I… I'm sorry… I…" He was truly sorry she was suffering because of their mutual love. Love should be good, not devastating. Not that aching pain he wasn't able to calm down right now, piercing through his own heart.

"I love you." Pepper blurted out then. "You know I always will"

"I know." Tony replied with a strangled voice filled with emotion, looking into her blue eyes. "And I love you too." He smiled at her. Hopeful. "I'll always will. I would never love anyone else… For me you'll always be the one…"

"Oh Tony…" She threw herself into his warm embrace. "You are the love of my life."

Some seconds passed by and then Pepper broke the silence again.

"What do you say if we save the world together from now on?" She whispered into his ear smirking at him.

Tony was suddenly shocked.

"Do you want a suit? Because I can totally design one for you..."

"Maybe" She enigmatically answered. "If I'm with you in the middle of the fight I won't worry about your well being so much"

"It's a win-win" He retorted sweetly. "You and I saving the world together. I like it"

Both smiled and then hugged tightly, clinging into each other for dear life under the dark sky for what seemed hours. And that night neither of them felt alone again.

* * *

It must be true that time passes by Tony thought during that dinner. It was their first date night since he and Pepper came back together. Since she came back to him and talked with him about her most deep feelings and fears, and they sorted things out together in mutual understanding until they decided to try being in a romantic relationship again.

Those two months without her had been hell and he had a lot of time to think. He'll be damned if he lets her go away from his life again. Tony plays absentmindedly with the little velvet box inside his jacket pocket during dessert and when Pepper says it's time to leave he follows her back to the tower absentmindedly. They chat about lots of things in the car ride home. But in the moment they leave the Avengers Compound parking lot it's their hands who do the talking

Both have missed each other's bodies and things between them start heating up in their private elevator. Caresses and kisses of high voltage that can't wait anymore. Pepper and Tony burst into their private floor at the Avengers Compound, a mess of uncontrolled legs and arms. The engineer's belt is forgotten on the living room floor. And every few steps they stop against the wall to kiss without control. Tony's gray suit jacket flies off once inside the corridor leading to the bedroom. For an instant, the engineer prays to all that is holy that the ring does not come out of the inner pocket of the garment. He is in luck, the jacket falls to the floor with a muffled sound and Pepper is too busy leaving marks on his neck and sucking his earlobe like there is no tomorrow. He loves it so much when she's so passionate. It will leave marks of that firey red lipstick all over his body. She will mark him as hers and he is more than fine with that.

Tony smiles pleasantly against her soft, sweet neck as he traps her between his body and the wall, running her hands down her back through the sumptuous blue dress. She's wearing a blue dress on purpose. She knows what it's making him feel. They are nearly in the bedroom but not there yet. He can't wait anymore.

"Just trust me Pep. Let's do it here… Against the wall… Oh fuck…" Pep's kissing his sensitive neck eaguerly.

"Since when did trusting you bring anyone something good?" She retorts smiling devilishly against his skin.

They try to walk some meters and barely reach the last wall. Pepper is trembling with desire between his hands, reaching out to pull his shirt out off his pants and starts unbuttoning it fiercely. Finally, she manages to pull it off, revealing his muscular chest. She revels on the scar over his heart, where the ark used to be. She kisses it tenderly, then looks possessively at him, her eyes a dark shade of blue, filled with desire.

"Fuck the bed!" She shouts. "I want you. I need you right now. It's been too long…"

He kisses her passionately, pinning her against the wall.

"See? That's what I thought!" He retorts fiercely once the kiss breaks.

Pepper draws him forward and kisses his chest again at the level where his heart beats wildly for her. The redhead's skin burns with desire to melt with him, she needs to feel all of him against her skin. Tony sighs deeply and shifts the zipper of her dress down, kissing each of her shoulders as she slides the fabric of the wide straps down, very low. The dress falls to the ground in a soft whisper of silk and Pepper is exposed in front of him in all her greatness. The underwear is black this time, but tight and lacy like she always wears on special occasions. She takes over his mouth again and kisses him sensuously abandoning her gold-heeled shoes and dress on the floor. He expertely unties her bra and throws it away. Then reaches for the hem of her panties and brings them down her long legs. Pepper helps him lifting her feet off the floor, first one, then the other. He kisses her ankle, her knee, her thigh and her bellybutton on his way back up.

Once she's totally naked, Tony lifts her legs around his waist as he gets rid of his pants and boxers. Then they make love passionately against the wall. Pepper's clutching onto his shoulders for dear life, leaving marks on his back with her manicured nails. Their breathing is erratic, their chests heavily sweaty, both hearts beating fast at the same time. Their mouths devoring each other as they eat their screams of pleasure. The rythm is fast and Pepper's head goes back hard when they both come in each other arms. Totally exhausted. They take some more moments to recover their shaky breathing. She can barely stand and he is holding all her weight the best he can, forehead heavy against the wall. Slowly, with a few giggles from Pepper, they end up sliding all the way down the wall to the cold floor. Once there they both laugh, their heads touching tenderly, holding hands.

Sometime later, Tony takes Pepper in his arms and brings her to the bed. He drops her with care looking at her reddish hair sprawled over the pillow as if he couldn't believe she's back and all his again. He loves her long long hair so much, and he touches it reverently. Things start heating up between them again, tenderly, lovingly this time. Tony lies over her and starts kissing her chest, then her neck, finally her lips slowly and maddening. They are both still naked and he can't stop caressing her back, kissing her collarbone… Soon they are an entangled mess of limbs over the bed. Pepper takes some air and tries to gain better access to his neck when her head suddenly hits the headboard hard.

"Ouch! That hurt!" She screams getting up and lifting her hand to the aching area in the back of her head.

Tony sits, stops the kissing and fondling and looks at her surprised.

"Oh God Pep… Are you okay?" He asks worriedly.

"Yeah! I just hit my head. I'm fine, don't worry. But that's what happens when I trust you, Mr. Stark…" She's totally kidding. Tony can tell. Her big smile throws her away.

His warm hands roam trough her back caressing the skin over her spine, sending shivers of pleasure trough all her body. And then, he tenderly kisses her hair in the same spot that hit the headboard.

"Absolutely amazing sex and a wonderful orgasm?" He asks smiling and raising an eyebrown.

"A good hit against the headboard" She answes back laughing. "Although the sex it's been amazing so far. I can't complain."

Tony stares at her and comes face to face with his favorite blue orbs. They both laugh wildly as their eyes meet. The situation is so hilarious that he can't think of a better moment than now. So he closes his eyes, sighs deeply, grabs Pepper's head, puts an ultra-fast kiss on the top of her red hair and gets up.

"Hey! Where are you going? We are not finished here yet… Things were just getting interesting again…"

"I'll be right back, honey. Just a moment!" He says as he starts walking towards the corridor.

Once he gets to the living room he hovers over his suit jacket and starts searching inside the inner pocket hurriedly.

Pepper in the meantime, has crouched over the center of the bed, hands on her knees, waiting for him, expectant to know what the hell her boyfriend was plotting now.

He's back. And he looks happy and nervous. Those big puppy eyes looking so excited.

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you for a long time, and I've just decided that it's now or never." Tony kneels, naked as he is, on the bedroom floor, with the velvet box open in his hand. Then he pulls out the ring and puts the case aside as Pepper covers her mouth with her right hand, astonished with surprise. "Virginia, Pepper, Pep… My one and true love… Will you marry me?"

Pepper's blue eyes are open wide. Her throat has dried and she is unable to articulate any sound. Her body is a bunch of mixed emotions. To the soft peace of blessed post-orgasmic satiety, joins a feeling of pure love and tenderness that takes possession of her without control. Not even knowing how or why, she is shaking like a leaf, in the middle of the enormous bed, swinging back and forth. She can't believe it, this is happening, the moment with which she dreamed so many times. It's real.

"I… This is… Tony!" She reacts at last throwing a pillow to his face. Tony turns away with agile reflexes and the pillow bounces on the floor, like a dead weight.

"Hey! That means that you don't want to?" He asks in a barely audible tone. Nearly sad.

He lowers his gaze to the floor and Pepper panics. She doesn't want him to think that she doesn't want to marry him please... That isn't...

"No! Oh my God Tony I… This is so unexpected… We just decided to be together again. After months of heartbreak…"

The engineer raises his head again and stares intently at her, relieved. His eyes two merry chocolate wells shining with hope again.

"Pep, I know… Trust me, but four years ago I didn't find the courage to do it. I was going to ask you when I gave you the pendant on the Hilton rooftop, before we danced. But I finally couldn't. I was paralyzed with fear. And you know what? My worst fear became a reality. I lost you. But now we are here and I just thought... Why not? It's about time either way..." He took a deep breath "I can't lose you again. I physically can't. I want to share my life with you. I've wanted this for years but I promise you I can wait some more if you are not ready to take this step. Can you give me an answer?"

Pepper can barely speak, little tears of joy sparkling in her beautiful blue eyes.

"Yes" She finally blurts out.

"Good. That's progress baby. Relax, take your time… I'm not going anywhere…"

"Yes, Tony. Yes is my answer, you incredible fool. Of course I'll marry you. My life has been so empty without you in it. I've missed you so much. Your exploits, your crazy genius… All of you." Pepper leans towards him, cupping his face in her hands, then kissing him until he gasps.

When they part away, pure joy is reflected in Tony's face. Their faces less than a few millimeters away, both inhaling each other's breath.

"Oh, is that so, future Mrs. Stark?" Pepper's affirmative answer has restored his good mood and need to banter in nanoseconds. Tony is gleaming with joy and without further words he slides the diamond ring on the left ring finger of his beloved fiancee. Right where it belongs. "The diamond in the center was set on my mother's engagement ring." Explains the engineer in a whisper. "The rest of the little blue sapphires that surround it I had them carved for you. Then I put them togheter in the workshop..."

"It looks like a very small ark reactor. I see. Oh Tony, you are amazing"

He smiles happily.

"I think it's perfect for you... Do you like it?"

"No… I don't like it. I love it! It's gorgeous Tony. So special. You did it for me… And you kept it for all this years… Even after the break up. I… I'm speechless. I don't even know how did you…"

She was crying now, Tony leaned into her and hugged her against him. If only she knew… That he's been holding onto that ring for dear life since 2008… He's wanted to marry her since he came back alive from that cave… Since the very moment he knew he was in love with her…

But instead he said:

"I knew I never could give it to anyone else… So… My mother would have loved that you had it. It was you or no one."

"Tony, I don't know what to say… You are crazy sometimes, but we are who we are and that's why I love you. I will always love you. That I know for sure"

"Me too Pep, me too" He replied, holding her against his body, more excited than he remembered ever having been. A soft furtive tear of happines slides from his right eye and stops in the middle of his cheek "I always knew inside my heart you'd come back to me. Our story couldn't end like that."

Pepper pulls him up and onto the bed, gently caressing his hair and placing a soft kiss on top of his head.

"I am so happy to have you back Tony…"

"Pep…" He whispers against her damp cheek, full of happines.

He pauses for a moment placing his curious fingers over her left hand, rolling the ring on her finger.

"I knew you were plotting something. You were strangely quiet during dinner. But I couldn't imagine this. Oh my God. We are getting married!" She states looking into the sparkling diamond.

"Yeah, tying the knot" He reassures her. "It's happening Potts."

She leans over Tony to kiss him as they both slide onto the mattress. Pepper drapped all over him.

"Hey future hubby! I believe we were onto something before you left the bed…"

"Oh yes, I nearly forgot… wouldn't you prefer going to sleep and I could wake you up sexily tomorrow?"

Pepper pauses.

"I kinda prefer both"

Tony laughs.

"Both is good"

"Yeah"

They make love again and once spent in each other arms Pepper rolls over and draps her body around Tony. She knows how much he loves being the little spoon.

"Good night, my love" She whispers in his ear before falling sleep.

"Nighty night, my future wife" He retorts later.

As they both let themselves be dragged into the world of dreams, they think once again about the beautiful future that awaits them.

* * *

In the morning, Pepper was absentmindedly toying with her engagement ring during breakfast when Tony approached her from behind, hugging her slender waist. She giggled and he kissed her cheek making her shiver.

"Good morning, my future wife" He said into her ear.

"Good morning, Tony" She answered turning back to face him. "Look, honey I've been thinking that we need to make our engagement public as soon as we can. But I can't wear this to the job or in public until we do. It just will ensure the gossip and the press would never leave us alone... I just want to make it right for both of us…"

He looked into her beautiful blue eyes, slightly puzzled but understanding. He hadn't think about the media, only them and his urge to finally propose to her. But now that she mentioned it. She was right… He caressed her hand slowly and toyed with the ring there, playfully.

"Oh honey you are right… I've been so stressed with Peter and everything this days I didn't even think about arranging a press conference… Okay let me keep it safe, then. We'll think on something."

Pepper beamed at him. Then her smile faded a little.

"It is hard to take it off. I love wearing it." She reassured his fiancé while giving the little ring to him. "But until everyone can know about our engagement… Keep it safe please"

Tony winked at her. "No worries. I know the perfect person for the job."

* * *

A week later, the door of the press conference in the "Avengers Compound" suddenly opened and a bright in black Pepper Potts bursted trough it.

"Where's the kid?" She asked not seeing Peter Parker with her fiancé and Hogan.

"He left" Happy clarified.

"I have a room full of people in there waiting for some big announcement. What I am going to tell them?" She demanded to Tony.

"I'll think of something…" Wait a minute, Tony thought this is the perfect ocassion for our little public announcement. "Happy, you still got that ring?"

"Do… I… Uh… Are you kidding? I've been carrying this around since 2008!" He said searching in his pockets and finally finding it and holding it triumphally in front of them.

Pepper widened her eyes. So the perfect person for the job was Happy? The ring bearer? It was too good to be true… Wait a minute… He had been carrying the ring since 2008? Oh my god, Tony wanted to propose to her since 2008? She felt her insides melting with pure love.

"O…kay" Damnit Happy, Pepper didn't need to know that, Tony thought embarrassed… I gave it to you for a reason all this time I wasn't ready to propose… Anyway… Let's go…

Pepper looked back into Tony, suddenly she was afraid of making the engagement public. It meant the wedding was happening soon. And everyone will want to keep an eye on them both from now on. Their relationship was going to be more on the public eye than ever.

"I think I can think of something better than that…" She stated simply. She was slightly nervous.

"It will buy us some time…" Tony retorted unrelented. He had been waiting for the pefect moment and it finally had presented itself.

Pepper felt a wave of pure love course through her. Tony had been waiting to marry her for so long. This was real. It was happening. They were getting engaged and soon they'll be wed. She aproached him and kissed him sweetly on the lips, pouring all her love for him into the kiss, then smiled broadly after they parted. She went towards the door.

"I can't believe you've had the ring in your pocket…" She muttered in Happy's direction, yanking the door open.

"Want me to get the door for you, Hon?" Tony finally asked following her into the press room. He grabbed the door handle at the same time as he quickly catched the ring Happy tossed in his direction before following his Pepper in order to ask her again, but this time in front of the world, if she would make him the honor of becoming his wife.

* * *

The door of the press conference in the "Avengers Compound" opened again half an hour later. Happy smiled to himself. They've done it. They were oficially engaged in front of the entire world. He had seen the whole thing through the monitors in the hall. All the Tony kneeling in front of the press. Pepper crying and saying yes as she covered her mouth with her hand, trembling with emotion. The whole thing.

"So… We are definitely engaged then… Publicly… Even" Pepper stated looking at the ring, now in her finger again, when they both came back from the press conference.

"You said yes in front of the world, Potts. So technically you are stuck with me." He grinned at her. So happy and blissful.

Pepper was full of happines and giddiness herself.

"It was about time…" Happy added. "Congratulations to you both"

"Thank You, Happy" The couple said at unison.

"Oh and it was amazing you had my family ring on you. Thanks for that" Tony added.

"You said to keep it safe and that's what I did, boss. It was in the safest place. My pocket, always under my watchful gaze. You know you can always count on me. Both of you"

Pepper smiled an hugged Happy tightly.

"Thanks for keeping it safe all this years" She was smiling with joy.

"And now, what?" Tony suddenly asked.

"Now we need to start planning a wedding" Pepper said inmediately. "One everybody is going to want to put their eyes on by the way…" This fact made her a little nervous. There was a time she wouldn't have signed herself on for a big wedding. For all that people staring at her in a white dress. But now, she was marrying Tony, the love of her life, and the setting didn't matter to her anymore. Only the fact that she was going to share her life with him.

Tony took her hand in his and absentmindedly caressed the engagement ring there.

"It's going to be amazing, Pep" He smiled brightly at her.

"I know, honey. I'm really excited. I truly want it to be a day we both remember forever"

"We will" Tony assured Pepper giving her a kiss in the lips.

Hogan smiled at the beautiful couple and looked away, truly happy for his friends.


End file.
